Steve Wright, Crystalline Ceramic Artist

Steve's creating all happens in his studio. A resent move back to the Muskegon area meant building a new studio space. An addition to this garage has been working well....once completed. A lot of the credit and our thanks goes to the "builder in chief", Dan Horton. Most of the dumb jobs and finish work were performed by the artist and family.

Steve's studio

Steve's studio in the summer.

The studio is in west Michigan, not far from Lake Michigan so all four seasons influence the creative environment. The yard is very shaded with large oak trees in the summer. Three feet of snow fell on the roof the first winter.

Steve's studio in the winter

These pieces are called "leather-hard." It's the first step of the drying process once the piece leaves the wheel. Pots can shrink as much as 12% during this drying phase.

This is the "bone-hard" phase. It's what's left after the liquid water leaves the clay.

Then comes the bisque-fired stage. The first kiln firing that makes the clay retain a permanent shape that is ready to glaze.

This is a kiln load of bisque ware that has been coated with multiple layers of crystalline glaze in hopes of capturing the elusive beauties.